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Common Name:

General Information

Persoonia arborea is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 6.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Australia - Victoria.

Habitat

Grows in wet sclerophyll forest to cool-temperate rainforest on granite, acid volcanics and in metamorphic substrata at elevations of 450 - 1200 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	6.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

We have very little information on this species and do not know how hardy it will be in Britain. It is a slow growing species[]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Requires a warm position in full sun in a freely draining preferably sandy slightly acid soil, preferring a pH around 6.3 to 6.5[]. Soils should be low in nutrients, especially nitrates and phosphates[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked]. The fruit has a sweet fibrous pulp that is fixed to one large seed, it tastes somewhat like sweet cotton wool and is relished by the Australian Aborigines[, , ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

Wood - tough and hard[].

Propagation

Seed - scarify the seed and sow it in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the autumn. Keep the seed tray in a sunny position during the following summer and the seed should germinate in the autumn. About 46% germination can be expected. Carefully prick the young seedlings out into individual pots within 1 - 2 days of emerging, the root is very brittle and plants are easily killed[]. Grow the plants on in the greenhouse for at least their first 2 winters and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Give some protection from winter cold for at least their first winter outdoors.